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Hourman is a fictional comic book superhero owned by DC Comics. There have been three superhero characters called Hourman.
Rex Tyler is a biochemist working for Bannerman Chemical, researching vitamin and hormone supplements. He was nick-named "Tick-Tock" Tyler, due to his penchant for always being on time, working "round the clock" without complaining or asking for overtime, and basically being a timid worker, afraid to "tick off" the boss. Coming of age during the Great Depression, Tyler was grateful to even have a job, and was too nervous to speak up for himself.
Working on his own project late at night, his research leads him to develop the super-vitamin he calls Miraclo. Miraclo gives him super-abilities, but for just one hour at a time. The drug seems to have also transformed a shy "milquetoast into a man of action." Unfortunately, the drug had some painful after-effects. Still, Rex was determined to continue to work on the drug, using himself as a living test subject. He decided he could best track the drug's effects by using its power to fight crime as Hourman. He became a founding member of the Justice Society of America.
Hourman wears a black, red, and yellow costume, with a yellow hood and cloak that masks his identity. He also wears a special hourglass around his neck, to help him keep track of how much of his "Hour of Power" he has left.
It takes a while for Rex to realize that his so-called "vitamin" Miraclo was actually an addictive drug. He struggles with his addiction and eventually conquers it. Later in life, he found ways to activate the Miraclo that had built up in his system, and was able to gain his powers without taking any more Miraclo, though he still would only have his powers for an hour at a time. When his son insists on following in his father's footsteps despite Rex's warnings about the drug's effects, the chemist finds a renewed motivation and is able to develop a non-addictive form of Miraclo.
Rex became a success in the chemical supplement business, and now runs his own business called TylerCo. He has had a rocky relationship with his son, Rick, whom he neglected as a child due to his addiction to Miraclo and crime fighting. They have since resolved their differences, and Rex has willingly passed on the Hourman legacy to his son. Rex was originally thought to be killed during the limited crossover series Zero Hour (1994), but was rescued, through the miracle of time travel, by the android Hourman from the 853rd century, who died in his place.
The Second Hourman
Rick Tyler has had a rocky relationship with his father. The fact that he was neglected by his dad as a kid made him all the more determined to win his approval. Part of the conflict arose when his father opposed him becoming the new Hourman, fearing that his son would become addicted to Miraclo as he did. Rick eventually took on the identity anyway, and joined the superhero team of second generation Justice Society members called Infinity Inc. Rick has gone through many changes and emotional ups and downs due to the relationship with his father, injuries he’s received as a superhero, and the death of his close friend Beth Chapel.
Rick has also mourned the death of his father twice, first when he was trapped, seemingly forever, in the Limbo dimension with the rest of the original Justice Society members, and the second time when Rex was believed to have been killed by the villain Extant during the limited series Zero Hour(1994). But Rick’s life was changed forever by the time traveling android Hourman from the 853rd century.
Rex originally disliked the future Hourman, but the two eventually grew close. The android saved his father Rex by plucking him from the time stream and dying in his place. He also gave Rick the ability to have “flash-forwards” where he can see an hour into the future.
Serving in the Justice Society, Rick became close with Jesse Chambers, the daughter of Golden Age heroes Johnny Quick and Liberty Belle. Jesse inherited her parents' powers, and originally based her superhero identity on her father, using the code name Jesse Quick. Since then, she has taken on her mother's identity as the new Liberty Belle. With help from his android descendant, Rick has now repaired his relationship with his father. Using a new non-addictive version of the Miraclo drug, Rick has returned to his Hourman identity. He and Jesse are now married, and are both active members of the Justice Society of America. Both Hourman and Liberty Belle appear regularly in the groups on-going series.
| Hourman
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| Gender
| Male
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| Publisher
| DC Comics
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| Origin
| 853rd Century
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| First Appearance
| JLA #12 (1997)
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| Creator(s)
| Grant Morrison and Howard Porter
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| Alter ego
| Tyler
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| Aliases
| Mathew Tyler
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| Abilities
| Strength, speed, durability, flight, and, for an hour at a time, time vision, and time manipulation powers.
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| Affiliations
| Justice League, Justice Society of America, Justice League Alpha (of the 853rd Century).
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Android Hourman
The android Hourman (sometimes referred to as Hourman III) was manufactured in the 853rd century by Tyler Chemorobotics, a corporate descendant of TylerCo, the company started by Rex Tyler. Although created artificially, Hourman was an emotional being with all the problems , insecurities and shortcomings that come with an emotional nature. He described himself as an “intelligent machine colony”, though it was never clear exactly what that meant. This is partly because the science used to create him is so far advanced, that we modern day humans can’t even conceive of it. One of the ingredients in his design is genetic software patterned after the Miraclo-enhanced DNA of Rex Tyler, the original Hourman. It is for this reason that the android thinks of himself as an actual descendant of Rex Tyler.
In the 853rd century, Metron of the New Gods chose Hourman as his successor. He entrusted him with a powerful device known as the worlogog, which can control time itself. Hourman was also a member of the Justice League Alpha, the primary superhero team of that century.
He met the 20th century Justice League during the limited crossover series DC One Million (1998). At the end of the adventure, he decided to refuse the position as Metron's heir, and accompany the JLA back to our era to explore the limits of his humanity and his heritage. There he was a member of the Justice League, and later, the Justice Society.
He was interested in his human heritage and wanted to learn as much as he could about the now deceased Rex Tyler and to connect emotionally to his son Rick. He was also interested in exploring his robotic heritage, which had him seek out the evil android Amazo, and his creator Professor Ivo.
After spending some time in our century, Hourman realized that his incredible power combined with his naivete (he was actually only two years old) could be a dangerous combination for humanity. As such, he gave up the worlogog's full power. He still had the strength and speed inherent in his Rex Tyler DNA, and could still fly, but his time-bending powers were now limited. Hourman could still activate a “Power Hour” during which he could see the into the future with his "Time Vision" and could manipulate and control time. When the hour was over, he had to wait at least an hour before reactivating it again. Hourman also owned a ship that could easily travel long distances up and down the timestream.
Hourman also connected with the JLA's former sidekick, Snapper Carr, who became his friend, guide, and advisor in his odyssey of self-exploration. This occured mostly in the android's own short-lived series.
He finally sacrificed his life to save that of the original Hourman. He did this by snatching Rex from the time stream an hour before his death, and then disguising himself as him with a hologram and dying in his place.
2008, SCI FI. All rights reserved.
